Portable building



y 19, I N. s. BELLMAN 2,124,242

PORTABLE BUILDING I Filed Oct. 6, 1936 8 Sheets-Sheet l July 19, 1938. N. s. BELLMAN 2;12 4,242

PORTABLE BUILDING glad Oct. 6, 1936 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 9W M i July 19, 1938. N's. BELLMAN PORTABLE BUILDING Filed Oct. 6, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 19, 1938. N. s. BELLMAN PORTAfiLE BUILDING Filed 001:. e, 1956 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 July 19, 193s.v

' N. s. BELLMAN PORTABLE BUILDING Filed Oct. 6. 1936 8 She'ets-Shee'ti g r/ a a July 19, 1938 N, s, BELLMAN v 2,124,242

PORTABLE BUILDING :Filed 001:. 6, 1956 8 she'ets -sheet 6 N. s. BELLMAN PORTABLE BUILDING July, 19, 1938.

8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Oct. 6, 1936 Patented July 19, 1938 UNITED- STATES PATENT oFFlcE ron'rni ir iz ifilwmo 2 v I Application October 6, 1936, Serial 104,291 In Great Britain November 7, 1935 13 Claims.

This invention relates to portable buildings, for example airplane hangars or sheds, and has for its main object to provide an improved structural arrangement adapted for rapid and easy transportation, erection and dismantling and also allowing variation of size to suit requirements.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved form of sectional unit adapted for assembly with other similar units to constitute either a roof principal or a wall stanchion for a portable building, and also adapted for assembly with one or more other similar units to constitute a pole or derrick to be employed in the erection of the roof principals or wall stanchions of the building.

A further object of the invention is to provide a base or foundation member upon which a wall stanchion composed of assembled sectional units of rhomboidal shape will stand in substantially vertical position,'in spite of the obliquity of the bottom end of the lowest unit of the stanchion.

A still further object is to provide improved doors for closing the ends of portable buildings of rectangular cross section, the doorways being of area approximating to' said rectangular cross section and the doors being adapted for rapid operation but providing a substantially rigid closure.

The invention is hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which:---

Figs. 1 and 1a represent twohalves of an end 1 elevation, partly in section, of an airplane shed or hangar.

Fig. 2 is a partial side view of the structure, and Fig.3 a partial plan of the roof, the covering material being partly broken away to show the internal bracing.

Fig. 4 represents on a larger scale one of the sectional units from which the side walls and roof principals are built up.

Fig. 5 is a plan and Fig. 6 an end view of Fig. 4:.

Fig. '7 shows a modified form of sectional unit preferably employed for the corner connection of the roof to the walls.I

Fig. 8 represents an alternative construction of sectional unit.

Fig. 9 is a. partial end elevation of the structure on the same scale as Figs. 4-7, showing in outline the modified or corner unit (Fig. '7) connected to the adjacent units of the roof and wall respectively, together'with the side rails, purlins and covering material.

Fig. 10 is an elevation and Fig. 11 a plan of a foundation member supportingoneof the sectional units of a side wall.

Fig. 12 is a detail on a larger scale, showing one of the saddle blocks which receive the ends of the purlins. l

Figs. 13 and 13a represent two parts of an elevation at right angles to Fig. 9, seen at the top of the roof adjacent to one end of the shed, showing means for supporting a canvas door or ourtain to close the doorway or opening.

Fig. 14 is an elevation of an alternative form of door support with bottom guide track.

Fig. 15 is a plan view in section on the line l5l5 of Fig. 14. o

Fig. 16 is a part plan of the bottom track for the door supports.

Fig. 1'7 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 14, showing the lower end of a door. support engaged in the bottom track.

Figs. 18 and 19 represent guide pulleys for a wire operating the doors. 7

Figs. 20, 21, and 22 are diagrams ofthe door, operating system.

Fig. 23 illustrates a door made of steel slats.

Figs. 24, 25, and 26 are diagrams showing in end elevation various sizes of building which can be built up by assembly of different numbers and arrangements of the sectional units.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, the building illustrated represents an airplane shed or hangar, the plan dimensions being for example 175 feet long and 95 feet wide, giving a clear inside width of about 90 feet; with these dimensions the building may comprise fifteen complete roof arches A, with fifteen pairs of wall stanchions B, providing fourteen bays 0, each 12 feet 6 inches long, two such bays being represented in Figs. 2 and 3. Each wall stanchion is shown as built up of three similar sectional units a, giving 'a clear height of about 25 feet inside the building. Each roof arch is shown as built up of ten similar sectional units a, five on each side of the centre line of the building at the corners, where the roof is connected to the walls, slightly modified sectional units b are provided, for a purpose hereafter explained, these corner units being connected between the outmost sectional units aofthe roof arch A and the topmost units a ofthe wall-stanchion B.

vertical The main sectional units a, when assembledto gether to form a main arch or principal A of the roof, have their abutting ends substantially vertical while their top and bottom membersare inclined at a relatively small angle (for example 15 degrees) to the horizontal; in order that sectional units a of the same form may serve for vertical side wall stanchions B of the structure, in which the abutting ends will be inclined to the horizontal, the foundations upon which the walls rest are each given a slightly oblique top face, inclined at the same angle as the main arch or roof principal A, the substantially vertical rhomboidal units of the walls resting endwise on these oblique faces.

The sectional units a are arranged for bolting together at their meeting ends directly or by means of cover straps across the joints, or for assembling in any other convenient manner, the spacing of the bolt holes or the like being uniform in all the units as Well as in the foundation members c on which the walls are mounted; similarly spaced bolt holes or the like may be provided at other points of some or all of the units, for example to allow of securing the outermost units of ftheroof'principals in suitable angular relation to the topmost units ofthe walls, so that the roof can rest directly upon the top ofthe wall at each side. Preferably,'however, a modified form of unit b is provided for the corner-connection of the roof to the walls or for the connection between other sectional units in angular relation.

The'preferred construction of the main sectional units a is shown more clearly in Figs. 4 to 6,

where it" can be seen. thatthe unit is of rhomboidal shape, the ends being substantially vertical (in the position'occupied when forming a sectional unit of the roof arch) and the top and bottomlon'gitudinal members or booms being inclined at an angle of about 15 degrees to the horizontal. The 'unit -is built up by b'olting together a number of rolled steel angles, cut to suitable lengths, comprising end members a longitudinal members or booms a arranged in pairs, and diagonal stays a The members a a are secured together'by means of angle plates w at each corner of the unit, one of these plates being bolted between the two' longitudinal members a and having the end of the member a bolted thereto;

the second'angle plate a has its side flange extending in the reverse direction. At each end of the unit, the side flang es ofthe two angle plates a at'the top and of t he two at the bottom are flush with the flange of the angle a so as to form" an 'end'surface'for jointing to an adjacent unitf'by bolts passing through holes in these flanges. The booms a may also be formed with correspondingly arranged bolt holes, so that two such units can be bolted together in angular relation as analternative to the end-to-end relation.

The modified corner unit I; (Fig. '7) differs from the standard a mainly in that its lower longitudinal member or boom 1) is cranked or offset to provide end portions of different depth; one end 12 is of the same depth as the end a of the standard unit, but the other end 12 is made deeper, for example about half as deep again; the offset face I)? of the deeper end, extending par allel to the top boom, is made of width equalto the depth of the end b and formed with correspondingly arranged bolt holes, so that this unit b can be bolted to the end of anotherunit in angular relation thereto. The corner unit is designed to allow a variation of the height and width of the building, since it can be arranged either in the position shown in Fig. 9, withthe end 12 bolted to the vertical end a of a roof arch or gable unit and the offset face b at the deeper end I)? bolted down on the top end a of a wallstanchion unit a, or in a reversed position, with the end b resting on the top of a wall-stanchion unit and the face b bolted to the vertical end a of a roof principal unit a. The corner unit also provides a slight increase of strength, as compared with the bolting of a standard roof unit a upon the top of a similar Wall-stanchion unit a, by reason of the stiffening due to the extra depth at the corner where the maximum stresses in the frame occur. The corner units may also be employed for connecting sectional units in angular relation at other positions, for example for the ridge connection of the two principals of a roof arch, two such units being inverted and bolted together at their deeper ends b and the other ends 12 being bolted to the ends a of themain units forming the roof principals.

It will be understood that the sectional units may be built up by bolting, riveting or welding together any suitable rolled steel sections to form a girder structure of rhomboidal shape, and that the units may be composed of metal sheets or pressings built up in any convenient manner. For example, Fig. 8 shows the corner unit b formed by pressed steel booms b of channel section having their side flanges connected together byparsnei steel plates b cut out to provide apertures of which the edges are reinforced by continuous lips b flat steel plates are welded between'the extremities :of the booms b and platesb? to form the ends b b of the unit, and also at intermediate points of the length to form diaphragms b7, stiffening webs I) being welded between the plates b to connect the lips I) with the booms 6 or' diaphragms b".

Eachof the wall stanchions B has its lowest sectional unit a bolted down upon a foundation memberc (Figs. IQ and 11) havinga pair of oblique steel angles c secured thereto, the top faces of the angles 0 having the same inclination as theroof principals, viz. 15 degrees, so that when the unit a is laid in a vertical position upon this member 0, its end a will rest evenly upon the oblique angles (3 upon which it will then be secured bybolts passing through bolt holes provided to correspond with those in the end (1 The member 0 may consist of a steel plate, having the oblique angles c riveted thereto and itself riveted in'place between two channel steel bearers d, the op osite ends d of which are bolted down to pairs of pressed steel sleepers e, the whole being anchored to the ground, for example by screw piekets 1 passed through bridge plates secured to the sleepers e;; alternatively the sleepers e may be held down by sand bags filled on the site and laid across the sleepers.

, The severalmain arches A and wall-stanchions B thus constituted'are connected together in the longitudinal direction by purlins g and external side rails h respectively, arranged at the points of connection of theends a of the main units a, and also at intermediate points half-way along the booms a all of these members g h are preferably similar and formed by trough-section steel pressings, or rolled steel angle-sections with round backs, adaptedto nest into one another for storage and transport. The purlins g are detachably connected to the main units a of the roof principals by means of saddle blocks 2' (Figs. 9 and 12), the extremities of the purlins being slotted transversely at g so as to engage with bolts 2' projecting from the sides of the saddle blocks; the latter comprise base plates i bolted to the top booms d b? of the roof units, and adapted to form cover straps over the joints between adjacent units, the booms 0. I) being formed with the necessary bolt holes near the ends and also at the middle of their length. The side rails h are connected to the main units a of the wall stanchions by means of similar saddle blocks bolted to the outside booms of these units.

Suitable stifleners 7' (Figs. 13 and 13a), consisting of angle or trough-section pressings, with one or both of their extremities i cranked for example at 45 degrees, are bolted at one end to the purlins g alternately on opposite sides of the main units a of the roof principals, the opposite ends of these stiffeners being secured to the lower booms a of the roof units; as shown in Figs. 9, 13, and

. the roof, between the arches or principals and the uppermost side rails of each wall. Diagonal braces k, preferably adjustable in length to allow for uneven ground, may also be provided between the ends of units in adjacent roof-principals and wall-stanchions, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3; these braces k are preferably clipped tothe intermediate purlins and side rails at their crossing points W.

The roof and walls may be covered with canvas, but are preferably covered with galvanized sheets I, either flat or corrugated, which can be arranged for rapid erection and dismantling by eliminating the customary end laps. For example, the two ends 1 Z of the sheets covering the roof may be curled upwards and downwards respectively so that the lower end Z of a sheet merely hangs over the upturned top end Z of the next lower sheet, as shown in Fig. 9; the sheets are fastened by means of hook bolts Z engaging under the edges of the purlins g, with nuts 1 screwed upon their projecting ends above the sheets. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 2 in the case of the wall-covering sheets, the end lap may be maintained, rapid erection and dismantling being provided for by facilitating the removal of the bolts Z 'fastening these sheets to the side rails h; for this purpose, the holes in the inner or overlapped sheets are made with ample clearance for the bolts passing through the outer or overlapping sheets, and the positions of the bolts 1 are chosen so that they do not pass through more than two sheets at any point. Transparent top panels m, consisting of oiled fabric or like material, may be fitted to the sides of the shed, as shown in Fig. 9, in order to give light to the interior.

Doors may be provided at either or both ends of the building, these doors being preferably divided at the center; in the arrangement shown in Figs. 1a and 13, the door 7!, which extends across one half of the doorway, is constructed of canvas or like material, sitffened by vertical steel bars or arranged to travel upon rollers 0 along an overhead track 12 formed by a T-section member mounted across the doorway, so that the canvas doors or curtains can be run aside, the bottom ends of the bars 0- being adapted for fixing to screw pickets or the like when the doors are shut. The track-member p may be mounted upon hangers 12 above the doorway, these being steadied by oblique stays 12 (see Fig. 13) anchored to the purlins g in the end bay of the roof. A canopy q is provided across the top of the door opening, covering in the hangers p as well as the space above the track-member 10 up to the top of the roof and-also covering "the end wall-stanchions B.

Figs 14 to 17 show the vertical steel bars 0 guided at their lower ends for sliding movement in a bottom track 1' of channel section, with attached sills r made in convenient lengths, and supported by pressed steel sole-plates s, to the number for example of four to each length of track; the sole-plates are secured to the track by spot-welding and are anchored by angle-iron stakes s driven obliquely through holes 8 in the fiat ends of the plates, the earth being excavated to allow the laying of the track and then replaced level with the latter. The lower ends of the bars 0 are fitted with socket sleeves o carrying pins 0 with .revoluble rollers 0 which run freely in the track 1' but prevent the door and bars o from being blown inwards or outwards of the building by wind pressure. The sleeves o are provided with hand-operated drop bolts 0 adapted to engage holes r in the bottom of the track for holding the door in closed position; when the door 'is opened, the bars 0 are prevented from crowding too closely together as they run along the overhead track p by means of stops or bumpers o fastened near their top ends, these stops abutting together as shown in dotted lines in Fig.- 15.

The opening and closing of the doors may be operated by wires t attached to the bars 0 adjacent to the center of the doorway, by knotting to eye-bolts t near the top ends of these bars, the wire passing freely through the eye-bolts of the other vertical bars; preferably one endless length of wire is employed at each doorway end of the building, the overhead track rail 10 being utilized to carry at its respective ends a pair of vertical pulleys u u (Fig. 18) and a horizontal pulley. 11, (Fig. 19) so that the wire is looped over the doorway with a crossing at the center, so that the two halves or doors are opened and closed simultaneously. Figs. 20 to 22 show the operating system, the vertical bars 0 .being spaced out in Fig. 20, which represents the closed position, and being brought together at one side adjacent to the wall stanchion B in Fig. 21, which represents the open position. The wire passing over the vertical pulleys u 11 is taken down to a winch v, as shown in Fig. 22, the wire being given two or three turns around the winch drum so that it can be wound in either direction as required by appropriate movement of the winch handle 0 The doors may be made of material other than canvas or the like, particularly where danger of fire exists; for example, as shown in Fig. 23, the vertical bars 0 may be hinged at 10 to steel slats to which are themselves hinged together at w the hinges being disposed at intervals of five feet for example along the edges of the bars and slats. The hinges may be either inside or outside the shed, and they are arranged -to limit the unfolding movement so that the slats cannot reach a straight-line position. When the door is opened by bringing the bars 0 together by means of the operating wire, the slats fold up together as shown in dotted lines on the right of the figure.

The erection of the shed can be effected by assembling the several units to form the stan: chions and raising the latter by hand; the roof principals, also formed by assembling the re? quired number of units a, with or without corner units b, to make up the two halves of each arch A, are then hoisted into position by suitable tackle, employing a number of assembled units a or other members to constitute a pole or derrick. By. wayof example, the main units-a may be 8 feet long, 2 feet 3 inches deep, and 6 inches wide; thus three assembled units a will make up a stanchion 24 feet high, and five assembled units a will make up a roof principal or girder 40 feet' long, allowing with the addition of the corner units 1) for a roof span of about feet, as already mentioned in relation to Figs. 1 to 3, this arrangement being shown diagrammatically in Fig. 24. These dimensions may be varied to any desired extent by employing different numbers. of unitsin each case and slight variations may be obtained by means of the corner units 1) as already explained; for example, by assembling only four units a and one corner unit b in each roof principal or girder, as represented in Fig. 25, the span can be reduced to about 75 feet, and again by arranging the corner units b in reversed positions, standing upright upon two-unit wallstanchions as represented in Fig. 26, the inside height can be reduced to about 21 feet near the walls. The dimensions of the units may themselves be varied from those mentioned by way of example, the units being made of lighter design (for example 18-inches deep) for spans up to 65 feet and of heavier design (for example 3 feetdeep) for spans over feet.

The invention may obviously be applied to the construction of portable or sectional buildings to be used as-garages for motor trucks or the like or as store-sheds for any purpose, whether temporary or permanent.

What I claim is:

1. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of sectional units of rhomboidal shape, assembled to form side wall stanchions, and similar sectional units of rhomboidal shape, assembled to form roof principals.

2. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of sectional units of rhomboidal shape, assembled to form side wall stanchions, and similar sectional units of rhomboidal shape, assembled to form roof principals, one unit of each wall stanchion being assembled to one unit of a-roof principal.

3. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of a plurality of sectional units, and means for assembling said units together to form side wall stanchions and a roof principal extending between said side wall stanchions, all of said units being of similar rhomboidal shape.

4. In a shed having two, side walls and a low pitched roof, a sidewall stanchion formed by a plurality of sectional units of rhomboidal shape and means for assembling said units together in vertical alignment, and a base member for said wall stanchion, said base member having an oblique face inclined to the horizontal at the same angle as the inclined ends of said sectional units when assembled in vertical alignment.

5. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of a plurality of sectional units. of similar rhomboidal shape and two sectional units of .modified rhomboidal shape, and means for assembling said'units together in end-to-end relation to form side wall stanchions and a roof principal extending between said side wall stanchions,..said modified rhomboidal units being located at the junctions of said Walls and roof principal.

6. In a shed having-two side walls and a 10w pitched roof, a corner member connecting said roof to one of said'walls, said member comprising a straight longitudinal boom, a second longitudinal boom cranked intermediate of its ends, two ends of different lengths connecting said booms, one portion of said cranked boom being parallel to said straight boom, said ends being parallel to one another and oblique to said booms, and means connecting said booms and ends together to constitute a rigid structure.

'7. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of side wall stanchions and roof principals forming a series of parallel frames, each of said side wall stanchions and roof principals being formed by the assembly of substantially similar sectional units having their ends oblique to their length, series of horizontal rails connecting said wall stanchions along each side of said shed, and series of purlins connecting said roof principals.

8. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of side wall stanchions and roof principals forming a series of parallel frames, each of said side wall stanchions and roof principals being formed by the assembly of substantially similar sectional units having their ends oblique totheir length, series of horizontal rails connecting said wall stanchions along each side of said shed, series of purlins connecting said roof principals, diagonal stays connecting points of connection of said rails with said wall stanchions, and other diagonal stays connecting points of connection of said purlins with said roof principals.

9. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of side wall stanchions and roof principals forming a series of parallel frames, each of said side wall stanchions and roof principals being formed by the assembly of-lsectional units having-their ends oblique to their length, saddles forming cover plates over the joints between adjacent sectional units, and members extending at right angles to said frames to connect the several wall stanchions along each side of said shed and the several roof principals respectively, said connecting members fitting upon said saddles.

10. In a shed having two side walls and a low pitched roof, the combination of a plurality of substantially similar sectional units of rhomboidal shape to form side wall stanchions and a roof principal, said sectional units being adapted for end-to-end connection in alignment and also adapted for end-to-side connection in angular relation, the number of sectional units assembled in alignment to form the side wall stanchions being variable according to the desired height of said shed, and the number of sectional units assembled to form the roof principal being variable according to the desired span of said shed.

11. In a shed having two side Walls and a low pitched roof, the. combination of side wall stanchions and roof principals forming a series of parallel frames, each of said side Wall stanchions and roof principals being formed by the assembly of substantially similar sectional units of rhomboidal shape, means for covering the gable in one of said frames at one end of said shed so as to leave a substantially rectangular doorway of area approximating'to the cross-section of said shed, and means for closing said doorway.

12. A portable shed comprising sectional units of substantially rhomboidal shape, means for assembling said units in end-to-end relation to form wall stanchions and roof principals, means for bracing said wall stanchions and roof prindoor opening at one end, characterized by the fact that both the wall stanchions and the roof principals are composed of substantially similar sectional units of rhomboidal shape, assembled together in numbers depending on the height and 5 span respectively of said building.

NORMAN STUART BELLMAN. 

